


candy hearts

by nekrateholic



Category: ASTRO (Band), 우주소녀 | Cosmic Girls | WJSN
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Fluff, even though it's barely mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-26 23:09:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14412495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekrateholic/pseuds/nekrateholic
Summary: Cheng Xiao may or may not have a crush.





	candy hearts

**Author's Note:**

> i think this started because eunwoo and cheng xiao were both panelists on king of mask singer once... oh well.  
> okay listen. i had a two months long crisis about two syllable names and the result of that is: cheng xiao and moonbin are written as. well cheng xiao and moonbin because i'm _tired_. please don't judge me

Juyeon casually slides next to Cheng Xiao with a look that speaks of nothing good. “Rumor has it,” Mei Qi snorts at this, “that our little Cheng Xiao has a crush.”

“I suddenly forgot how to speak Korean.” Cheng Xiao says with a perfectly straight face, but not before she makes sure to send Mei Qi her deadliest of death glares.

“I heard something about a crush,” Dawon says as she places her tray on the table. “Who are we talking about?”

“No one!” Cheng Xiao exclaims. Then regrets it two seconds later, when Mei Qi fixes her a knowing look.

“I thought you forgot how to speak Korean?”

Dawon raises her eyebrows. Cheng Xiao shrugs.

“It’s actually someone you kind of know,” Juyeon smirks, the traitor.

Dawon perks up immediately. “Oh?”

Cheng Xiao makes rapid throat slicing motions - it doesn’t help. “He was in your class in high school, I think? That tall cute dude that all the teachers liked?”

“Ooh,” Dawon says again, this time with the same annoying, knowing look Mei Qi had earlier. “He was class president, too. Gotta admit though, you don’t get points for originality. Everyone and their cat has, or has had a crush on Dongmin.”

Cheng Xiao stares at her. “You don’t even have a cat.”

“But if I did,” Dawon waves her plastic fork around, “it would have a crush on Dongmin. I mean,  _ I _ almost had a crush on him and I’m into girls. He’s the the type of cute you want to write shitty poetry about, you know?. Except also super quiet and kind and super smart.”

“I know,” Cheng Xiao sighs before she can stop herself.

Juyeon raises her eyebrows. “Oh wow, wistful sighing. Things are worse than I thought.”

“I have an idea!” Dawon exclaims. “Jimin is having a party later this week. Sort of get the class back together? I’m pretty sure she threatened Dongmin with bodily harm if he doesn’t show up.”

“I’m not in your class.” Cheng Xiao states flatly. “I’m not even your age.”

Dawon waves a dismissive hand. “You’re close enough. There will be people outside the class too. Probably. I mean, most likely. Jimin likes people.”

“Does that mean you’re taking us, too?” Juyeon says with an overly cute voice. Mei Qi bats her eyelashes.

Dawon rolls her eyes. “Sure, why not. Let’s get the whole kindergarten.”

“One. Year.” Cheng Xiao mutters.

Dawon doesn’t seem to notice.

*

Cheng Xiao did not, in fact, develop a crush on Lee Dongmin because he’s cute. He is - you’d have to be blind not to see it but so are a lot of people Cheng Xiao has met. The start of her boy troubles a lot more awkward.

*

“I thought you said this is a party for your class,” Mei Qi says, looking at the people going in and out Jimin’s house. There’s at least ten moderately drunk people bumbling outside, of which Cheng Xiao knows approximately three. Out of them, Minghao is the only one who looks sober-ish, a glossy eyed Hansol leaning on him, explaining something that involves a lot of grand hand gestures.

Dawon shrugs. “I also said Jimin likes people.”

“This is more like...” Cheng Xiao trails off, staring at a boy that she’s pretty sure was a senior when she was a freshman. “A high school reunion with a heavier concentration of 97-liners.”

Dawon shrugs again and disappears into the house. Juyeon follows right after, the traitor.

Mei Qi looks around. “Okaaaaay. At least we’re not the only people outside their year…” she trails off, head whipping around to follow someone with an impressive shade of red hair. “Wait, is that Haerim? Oh my god, when did she become so hot?”

Cheng Xiao rolls her eyes. “Mei Qi, we graduated last year. A few months ago, really. Haerim has  _ always  _ been hot.”

“But!” Mei Qi flails her arms in the general direction Haerim disappeared. “Her hair. Did you  _ see  _ her?”

“I did see her, yes.” Cheng Xiao sighs. She can tell where this is going already.

“You know what,” Mei Qi starts, like she just thought of it (Cheng Xiao knows it’s all lies) “I think I’m gonna go say hi. I mean, we haven’t seen each other in so long...”

“A few  _ months _ ,” Cheng Xiao grumbles but it falls on deaf ears. Or more like, no ears at all because Mei Qi doesn’t even wait for a reply before she follows to wherever Haerim went.

And thus, Cheng Xiao is left to fend for herself in a party she wasn’t even really invited to. Oh well.

*

The beginning of the end of Cheng Xiao’s happy boyless days as a university freshman is when she realizes a certain Lee Dongmin turns out to be her supervisor in the café she starts working at. That in itself isn’t the problem - she’s gone to high school with him (sort of), she is immune to his face.

Except - he is terribly nice and has a really pretty smile, Cheng Xiao finds out very soon. She also finds out she enjoys being the one to put it on his face. She chalks it up to the start of a good friendship - people tend to like making their friends smile, right?

In her defence, there is also Moonbin. Turns out him and Dongmin haven't magically stopped being best friends for the few months Cheng Xiao hasn't seen Bin. Needless to say, he stops by often, which makes Cheng Xiao think of that one time they made out in someone’s bathroom and the misguided crush she’d had then. She doesn't anymore but it fails to make Bin less distracting, somehow.

Then again, that isn't really how it began either.

*

Cheng Xiao waves to a few people she sort of remembers, then finally takes a tentative step inside the house. The music is loud but it’s nice, it kind of matches the sound of her heartbeat. (Dongmin is nowhere to be seen.)

“Hey,” Luda materializes in front of Cheng Xiao, a plastic cup in each hand. She pushes one of them to Cheng Xiao. “I didn’t know you’re coming.”

Cheng Xiao shrugs. “Dawon invited me, kind of last minute. Juyeon and Mei Qi are here, too.”

“Ooh,” Luda grins. “So the whole kindergarten then.”

“Oh my god, it’s just one year. You and Dawon should really stop acting like you’re ready for retirement already.”

Luda laughs. “But we are!” She laughs again at Cheng Xiao’s unimpressed look. “Listen, making fun of people younger than you is the only perk of being old. Don’t take that away from us.”

Cheng Xiao just shakes her head, looping her free hand around Luda’s elbow. “Fine, fine. Dance with me, grandma.”

Luda squeaks indignantly but starts laughing again soon enough. She takes their cups and leaves them on a window sill close to the front door, dragging Cheng Xiao further into the room, where a bunch of possibly not sober people are already dancing.

*

Her troubles start one sunny afternoon, at work.

Her troubles, sadly, start with her period.

*

Moonbin is one of the possibly not sober people. It’s unfair, Cheng Xiao thinks, how he manages to move so gracefully, so coordinated even in his possible drunkness. The more important part, however, is that if Bin is here, then there’s a good chance Dongmin is here, too. Not among the dancing people probably (he told her he’s not good at that) but  _ here _ , somewhere.

“Sorry,” she tells Luda, gently shaking her hand off. “I need to find the bathroom.”

Luda laughs. “Already? It’s right there,” she points towards a door in the opposite end of the room. There’s a few people in front of it, leaning on each other in a messy queue. Cheng Xiao nods at Luda, hoping she exudes the appropriate amount of gratitude.

When she nears the bathroom she throws a casual look back, making sure Luda is not paying attention to her, and quickly bypasses the line and slips into the room opposite it.

There are surprisingly few people inside but - Dongmin is one of them.

He’s behind a kitchen counter temporarily turned in a bar. He seems to be… mixing drinks? Cheng Xiao waves at him.

“Oh, hi!” Dongmin grins, waving a cup in front of her. “Do you want something?”

Cheng Xiao regrets leaving her cup outside. She doesn’t really want to get drunk but she doesn’t want to disturb the smile on Dongmin’s lips by refusing. “Sure, surprise me,” she says in the end. “I didn’t know you’re good at cocktails, too.”

“I’m alright,” Dongmin’s smile turns shy. “Actually, I sort of learned how to make most of them because of times like  _ these _ .”

“Times like these?” Cheng Xiao asks, accepting the cup Dongmin offers her. It looks suspiciously red. Ugh, vodka. “You mean parties?”

Dongmin nods. “I always get invited to them for some reason. There are only so many times I can be busy with classes. That, or Bin drags me to them. I needed something to do in order to not seem like the biggest loser,” he laughs. His laugh is so nice, Cheng Xiao finds herself trying to will the butterflies in her belly away. “Aren’t you going to try that?” Dongmin adds, nodding towards the cup in her hand. He looks expectant, like he really cares about what she thinks of his Bloody Mary.

Cheng Xiao takes a careful sip, making sure not to let the disgust show on her face. Her eyes water from the tabasco but all in all, she thinks she’s relatively successful.

Apparently not.

Dongmin frowns. “You should’ve told me you don’t like that! I’m so sorry, I should’ve asked what you wanted-”

“But you did!” Cheng Xiao hurries to interrupt. “I mean, I just don’t feel like alcohol right now. I did want to try your cocktail, though.”

She can feel herself blushing at the last part and prays her makeup is good enough to conceal it.

Dongmin doesn’t seem to notice, but his frown eases a little. “You’re really sweet but you don’t have to drink things you don’t want to just because I made them. I have perfectly good cans of soda, too.”

Cheng Xiao laughs. “You didn’t make the cans of soda, though.”

“You can’t know that,” Dongmin shrugs. He also smiles a second later, which Cheng Xiao finds hard to deal with.

Friends. They’re friends.

Her heartbeat doesn’t agree.

*

You see, Cheng Xiao has a relatively regular period. Usually.

Not that month, apparently.

The worst part is, how she knows that it’s early is Dongmin awkwardly pulling her to the staff room and fumbling through an insistent suggestion that she goes to the bathroom. Scratch that, the worst part is that he does that after she’s been serving the few tables they have inside the café for most of the morning, in her favorite pair of white pants.

When Cheng Xiao locks herself in the bathroom and takes in the rather noticeable stain on her butt, she decides she’s never leaving that bathroom, even if that means leaving Dongmin alone for the rest of the shift.

And then Dongmin - sweet, reliable Dongmin - gently talks her out of a life of solitude in the bathroom. It includes a long speech about how her period is nothing to be ashamed of. Cheng Xiao doesn’t have the heart to tell him it’s less about it being her period and more about walking around dirty. When she finally leaves the bathroom, Dongmin (with a face on fire but impossibly determined eyes) pushes a pair of jeans and a pack of pads in her hands.

Cheng Xiao is more of a tampon type of girl but she’s too stunned (and desperate) to say anything.

Later, she finds out Dongmin closed the entire café to go buy the pads for her. That, and the fact that she doesn’t look that bad in men’s jeans.

It’s a natural progression, from then on.

*

“Do you wanna go somewhere more quiet?” Dongmin asks when Cheng Xiao reluctantly finishes her soda.

It’s a question a hundred boys have asked her, with varying levels of empty confidence. Dongmin’s voice holds no hint of a hidden meaning, however. It’s refreshing, even if Cheng Xiao isn’t quite ready to believe him yet - experience has made her defences stronger than anything.

“Sure,” she says in the end. She watches Dongmin stash two cans of soda in a backpack she hadn’t noticed from where she’s standing.

Cheng Xiao prays he doesn’t lead her upstairs.

*

“I didn't know how you like your coffee or even if you like coffee at all actually so I got you a hot chocolate because everyone likes hot chocolate,” Dongmin had said, all in one breath, pushing a steaming cup towards Chang Xiao. “Please tell me you like hot chocolate. Wait, you aren't allergic, are you?!”

It’d been the first time (excluding the period incident) that Cheng Xiao saw cool, calm and collected Lee Dongmin… flustered.

She’d been on her break when he rushed outside, mumbling his explanation and pushing the cup of hot chocolate in her hands. Cheng Xiao doesn’t mention how she has actually made coffee for herself  _ in  _ the bakery,  _ with  _ Dongmin there. The gesture is still sweet (and her heart still tries to beat its way out of her chest).

*

They end up at the beach. It’s deserted at this hour which might as well serve as the quintessential empty bedroom upstairs at any party. Still, Dongmin really doesn’t seem like the type of guy to try and get in your pants at the beach. Cheng Xiao is conflicted.

Dongmin plops down on the sand and pats the space next to him. When Cheng Xiao joins him, he offers her a soda.

It’s not exactly cold outside but there’s still a breeze and Cheng Xiao clutches the soda can in her hands, hoping that if she wishes hard enough she can convince herself it’s warm. She eyes Dongmin’s hoodie longingly. When she looks up to meet his eyes, he blinks back at her.

“Are you cold?”

As soon as the words are out of his mouth Dongmin reaches around and Cheng Xiao flails a little, “You don’t have to! I mean, you’ll be cold too -”

But before she can finish the sentence, Dongmin takes out a second hoodie from his backpack. Cheng Xiao closes her mouth and accepts the hoodie, eyes trained on the sand. Her cheeks feel on fire.

Dongmin laughs. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I’m as nice as you think I am. I always carry a spare hoodie, though.”

“Why?” Cheng Xiao asks before she can stop herself. She pulls the hoodie over her head and considers just hiding it for the rest of the night. When her head eventually pokes out of it, Dongmin is looking at her, smiling.

“Bin likes to think he’s too cool for the weather until he’s actually outside, in the cold. I’ve learned my lesson.”

Ah, Moonbin. Strange, how Cheng Xiao forgot he even existed for a while there. “You’re best friends, right?”

“Mm,” Dongmin plays with the strings of his own hoodie. Then he looks up at her. “It’s not fair, you seem to know a lot about me and I know so little about you.”

Cheng Xiao sputters, “Uh, I wouldn’t say a lot? Like, I mean -”

“It’s okay,” Dongmin interrupts, laughing. “I’m sorry, I’m terrible at this. I was actually trying to be smooth about trying to get to know you.”

“Oh,” Cheng Xiao breathes.  _ Terrible at what _ , her brain screams but she’ll be damned if she lets that train of thought get anywhere. “We could play that game with the questions? What was it called, twenty questions? Twenty-one?”

Dumb high school games. You’re doing great, Cheng Xiao.

But Dongmin nods, like that’s the best idea he’s heard tonight. “Nice. You start, since you suggested it?”

Now what? Cheng Xiao thinks it over. The beach is quiet and empty, save for the two of them. Dongmin’s hoodie is warm and smells like him a little and Cheng Xiao… she feels brave.

“When did you get your first kiss?”

She has about half a second to freak out before Dongmin hums. “Fourteen? It was Bin. We were feeling experimental.”

Cheng Xiao stares at him. “Does that mean…”

“Oh! Oh no!” Dongmin squeaks, arms flailing, blush high on his cheeks. Cheng Xiao suppresses a giggle. “I mean,” he adds, dropping his hands when one of them barely misses Cheng Xiao’s head. “I mean, I like boys, I think, but I also like girls? I -”

“You don't have to explain,” she interrupts softly, because Dongmin looks increasingly uncomfortable. Then it finally registers, and she laughs. Dongmin’s wide eyes lock on hers. “You know,” she says, nudging his foot with hers. “Moonbin kind of was my first kiss, too.”

It’s Dongmin’s turn to stare at her, open mouthed. “You two…?”

“Noo, it was in high school,” she hurries to explain, waving a hand to make her point. It feels like years ago now. “We were never really a thing, just made out a few times.”

“Huh,” Dongmin says, expression unreadable. “He never mentioned that.”

Cheng Xiao shrugs. “Most of my friends don’t know either. It just… wasn’t really important? I guess?”

Dongmin stays quiet for a few minutes, long enough for Cheng Xiao to start questioning her life choices. Why in the world did she have to bring up Moon Bin? Eventually, Dongmin speaks again. “We’re really failing at this questions game.”

“Yeah,” Cheng Xiao agrees on instinct, even though she doesn’t really agree. It was all going well in her book - until she ruined everything. Damn her and her big mouth.

A few more minutes pass like that, awkward, before Dongmin’s face finally clears. He changes the topic, even smiles again.

It doesn’t feel as nice as before, somehow.

*

Romcoms taught Cheng Xiao that a normal ending to an improptu beach date is the girl falling asleep on the boy’s shoulder.

She’ll never trust romcoms again.

Dongmin is currently drooling on her shoulder, snuggled close to her in the early morning cold. They kept talking and talking until they ran out of things to talk about and they just sat there, watching the sky light up in comfortable silence. That is, until Cheng Xiao realized she’s just sitting there, and Dongmin is nodding off next to her. She’d then carefully moved so she’s there when he eventually falls asleep for real and loses his balance.

(Moonbin’s name was never mentioned again. The atmosphere never got back to how it was either.)

Cheng Xiao sighs. She considers stealing Dongmin’s phone to text someone to pick him up. Her brain quickly supplies her with two very valid reasons why that’s a terrible idea: 1. he probably has a passcode and 2. that’s just a terrible idea.

So she takes out hers instead, snaps a quick photo of Dongmin sleeping and sends it to Moonbin. Thank god she never deleted his number. She captions the picture with  _ we’re at the beach, come pick up ur kid _ .

It takes Moonbin approximately a minute to text back,  _ omw!!! _

When he shows up, some fifteen minutes later, he gives Cheng Xiao a narrowed look.

She gives him one right back. “Don’t look at me like that, we were just talking.”

“Didn’t say anything,” Moonbin shrugs, carefully dislodging Dongmin from her. “Wouldn’t judge you if you didn’t just talk, either,” he adds absently, rearranging Dongmin with unsurprising ease, given his build. Moonbin then gives Cheng Xiao an expectant look.

“What?”

Moonbin rolls his eyes. “Help me get him on my back?”

Cheng Xiao stares at him, then scrambles to... help. Somehow. “I thought you’d wake him up?”

Moonbin grins at her. “If you really thought I’d wake him up you would’ve done it yourself.” He nods at her, “I see he’s given you the hoodie. Things must be serious.”

Cheng Xiao looks down and - oh, right. The hoodie. She dusts herself off awkwardly. “Not… really.”

With Dongmin finally in the correct position, they start back towards the main road.

“What, you mean you didn’t put the moves on him?” Moonbin waggles his eyebrows and Cheng Xiao is two seconds away from kicking him in the shins before she remembers it would probably disturb Dongmin, too. She reluctantly puts her foot down. Moonbin laughs.

“Do I seem like the type to put the moves on anyone?”

Cheng Xiao has the feeling Moonbin would shrug, if Dongmin wasn’t plastered on his back. “Honestly,” he starts, “you both seem the type to stare longingly at each other from afar. It’s kind of cute.”

“I… Stare longingly?” Cheng Xiao mutters, disbelieving. Has she not been as stealthy as she thought she was?

“You kinda do. But worry not, you’re not the onl- ah!” Moonbin whimpers, kind of really loud, and for a moment Cheng Xiao is convinced Dongmin can’t possibly sleep through that. But when she checks to see - Dongmin looks just as peacefully asleep as he was a minute ago. Thank god.

“Careful,” she hisses. Moonbin pouts.

“I could’ve broken a leg from the force of this… stumble,” he brings a hand to his chest, expression full of mock hurt. “And you’re more worried about him? Have I not proven worthy of your worry?”

“No.” Cheng Xiao deadpans. It’s weird, she and Moonbin haven’t exactly been close but bantering with him feels natural. He feels like a friend. Which is probably why the words that come out of her mouth next are, “Even if there was any longing staring, you ruined everything.”

Moonbin stops in his tracks to stare at her. “Me? What did I do?”

Cheng Xiao sighs. She has herself to blame for this one. “Remember how we made out in high school?”

Moonbin, who’d just resumed walking, stops to stare at her again. “You told him about that? Oh god, now he’s going to go all self-sacrificing knight and not ask you out ever.”

She blinks at him. “But why?”

“Duh,” Moonbin shakes his head. “Because he’ll think I have some repressed feelings for you or whatever.”

“But… You don’t? Right?” Cheng Xiao cringes at her own voice. She doesn’t mean to sound as hopeful as she does but – unlike Dongmin, Moonbin has never been more than a pretty face to her. Even with how they seem to get along when they actually talk, Moonbin in a romantic way is just… no.

“You’re doing wonders for my self-esteem, just so you know,” Moonbin laughs. “It’s okay,” he hurries to add before Cheng Xiao has the chance to launch into an apology speech. “I really don’t, and  _ some people _ should have known I’ve been trying to court this cute senior named Jinwoo for the past few weeks.”

“Who even says court anymore,” Cheng Xiao huffs, just as Moonbin yelps again. He glares at his leg, then roughly hikes Dongmin higher on his back. She flicks Moonbin’s forehead, glaring as well. “Careful, you’ll wake him up. Who knew you’re so clumsy.”

“Right.” Moonbin mumbles, and is he… sulking? Uh.

“I’m sorry?” Cheng Xiao tries.

Just like that, Moonbin’s frown disappears and he grins at her. “It’s not your fault, it’s fine. I wish I’d comment more but I’m afraid I might stumble again.”

Oh.

Cheng Xiao glances at Dongmin. She’s pretty sure his head was on Moonbin’s other shoulder when they left the beach.

“I see,” she tells Moonbin, smiling back. “The road is pretty bumpy here, you’re right.”

When they reach the main road, Moonbin calls a cab for her and then one for himself and Dongmin.

Cheng Xiao has been in her cab for no more than ten minutes before her phone pings with a new message. From Dongmin.

_ hey, do you wanna go on a dat _

A second later, another message comes in.  _ Sorry! Moonbin stole my phone, can we pretend this never happened _

And then,  _ uh, good morning _ .

Cheng Xiao laughs loud enough for her driver to give her a curious look. She types back,  _ good morning to you too _ and also  _ that’s too bad, i was about to say yes _

They’ve almost arrived at Cheng Xiao’s house when the next reply comes in.  _ Oh. Would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow, then? _

Cheng Xiao grins at her phone. She kind of wants to tease him a bit more but in all honesty, it’ll probably do more harm than good.

What she ends up typing is a simple  _ i’d love to. _

*

“So,” Juyeon starts, a shit-eating grin on her face. “How does it feel to have kissed the hottest boy in high school?”

Cheng Xiao ended up telling them about the beach not-date, and the following actual date. She decided to omit the Moonbin part, though – Mei Qi is the only one of their friend group that knew about the whole Moonbin thing, both in high school and now. Honestly, Cheng Xiao would love to keep it like that, thank you very much.

Except Moonbin is currently live texting Dongmin’s wardrobe crisis for their next date, which is what Cheng Xiao blames for her next slip up. “Which one?”

The entire table falls quiet. When Cheng Xiao looks up, both Juyeon and Dawon are looking at her like she’s grown a second head. Mei Qi, shrugs. She mouths,  _ you dug this one yourself. _


End file.
